I’m looking for pet insurance for my two kittens. I’ve had a look around for reviews on the internet, but all of them seem to have really negative reviews!

Some of the key things I will need from the insurance is:
-For it to cover emergency vet fees
-For it to give life cover, not just for 12 months

If you’ve got any suggestions of pet insurance that you have tried and tested, please let me know! I’m a bit worried about signing up for the wrong one!
Thanks!!!
Unfortunately, the week after we got the kittens, one of them hurt her leg, which cost us a fortune in emergency vet fees and xray costs. We’re students so really can’t afford to have those kind of expenses! I think insurance would be the best options for us as oppose to a seperate fund! But thanks!

I know it is very confusing when shopping for pet insurance. There are too many information

out there and cause a case of information overload.

No pet insurance are the same and you need to find one that tailors to your pet’s need. You

have to be careful when choosing because some insurance company place a low cap on their

reimbursement even though you are paying for higher premiums. Some will have low

deductibles but will not cover much illness or low coverage for accidents and diagnosis. Many

insurance companies will not cover pre existing conditions.

I cannot recommend one that stood out from the rest because what my pet needs might be

different from what you need.

However, there is a site with a lot of good and useful reviews on the insurance available that

you can look into.

http://www.petinsurancereview.com/

http://www.pet-insurance-info.com

Some guidelines:-

How old is your pet? The best time to purchase a pet health insurance policy is when your pet

is young. Most pet health problems happen in the last two years of your pet’s life. So, the

younger your pet is, the better

Is your breed prone to medical problems? While policy premiums are generally not based on

breed, certain hereditary conditions are excluded.

For instance, Persian cats are prone to polycystic kidney disease (PKD). You can still buy pet

insurance for your Persian; just don’t be surprised if it fails to cover related issues (some pet

insurance policies may cover this, so check with your provider to make sure before you buy).

Is your pet already sick? Most pet insurance providers won’t cover pre-existing conditions.

However, if you can prove your pet had a condition that has been cured, that may be covered.

Can you choose your own veterinarian? For many pet owners, vet choice is key, and for good

reason. Some pet insurance companies require you to use veterinarians on their own network.

Others don’t. As always, check with your provider regarding your choice of veterinarian.

What is your pet’s lifestyle? If your dog or cat spends most of his time outdoors, that will

increase his/her risk of illness or injury.

What is covered? Many pet owners purchase pet health insurance policies to protect

themselves from the high cost of future medical problems. Others want regular pet care such

as annual physical exams and routine checkups and cleanings.

Just be advised that most standard pet insurance policies cover catastrophic accidents and

illnesses. Routine vet visits tend to come as add-ons and/or riders.

What State do you Live In? If you are searching on the internet for pet health insurance, you

need to check this. Just because a provider does business online doesn’t mean it services your

state.

Check The Insurance Company’s Track Record

Every state in the U.S. has an insurance commissioner. If the insurance company you are

considering has had legal/ethical issues that should cause you concern, the insurance

commissioner’s office in your state or province should know about it. Check with them before

you buy.

I’m bringing home a puppy (shih-tzu) in a few days and definitely considering (and hoping) to purchase pet insurance.
I’m located in Toronto.
I’ve read lots of reviews for what seems is the 2 larger (& well-known) pet insurance companies:
PetPlan and PetCare – only to find both have mostly TERRIBLE reviews and lots of cautions being written by people who used either of these. (so, don’t even want to bother going there)

Now, my search leads me to www.VetInsurance.com.
I started to look for reviews on VetInsurance and found mostly GREAT reviews and only 1 caution. So I’m excited.

** I’m looking for YOUR experiences with www.vetinsurance.com.
** What can you tell me about this VetInsurance.com?
** their Customer Service?
** Reimbursement of money?
** Vet recommended or not?

While I’m at this…

** looking for input for PC FINANCIAL Pet Insurance?
** Your Thoughts – Good, Bad, Ugly?

All and any replies GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Hi there…most pet insurance agencies only cover preventative care …very companies few cover urgent care for medical emergencies, which is what most people need for their pets. Another concern brought up by consumers is that some insured agencies are not long-standing businesses even though Vet Insurance has been around since 1999. So be sure to see if VetInsurance has received good reviews by the local Better Business Bureau and the Consumers Affairs http://www.consumeraffairs.com

I found one site that reviewed Vet Insurance, however please note these are personal opinions which may not reflect your interests: http://www.petinsurancereview.com/vetinsurance.asp

Animals with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage and/or lose coverage.

Younger pets (puppies) are likely to get into mischief that could be life-threatening so insurance can be helpful "if" there is urgent care coverage.

Ideally, most people find it’s more practical by putting away a conservative monthly amount in an interest earning account that you can afford strictly for pet care is the best way to cover pet expenses and medical care.

I know this doesn’t directly answer your question, but hopefully will help you in making a decision as to which insurer to choose so that you will not become victimized and left without being able to care for your puppy over his/her lifetime.

I’m bringing home a puppy (shih-tzu) in a few days and definitely considering (and hoping) to purchase pet insurance.
I’m located in Toronto.
I’ve read lots of reviews for what seems is the 2 larger (& well-known) pet insurance companies:
PetPlan and PetCare – only to find both have mostly TERRIBLE reviews and lots of cautions being written by people who used either of these.

Now, my search leads me to www.vetinsurance.com.
I started to look for reviews on VetInsurance and found mostly GREAT reviews and only 1 caution. So I’m excited.

** I’m looking for YOUR experiences with www.vetinsurance.com.
** What can you tell me about this VetInsurance.com?
** their Customer Service?
** Reimbursement of money?
** Vet recommended or not?

While I’m at this…

** looking for input for PC Financial Pet Insurance?
** Good, Bad, Ugly?

All and any replies GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Wow I’ve never even heard of this…I know Purina offers some kind of insurance.

I’m getting confused about what Pet Insurance I should have for my cat. I’ve had lots of quotes and looked up reviews but I’m worried that I’ll sign up for one that won’t pay up. Halifax had good reviews but it was so much more expensive than the others and Tesco was quite cheap but people are saying on review sites they don’t pay up, so any other opinions would be a help.

I am with Pet Plan and I am glad I am as when my Persian cat was ill a few years ago and subsequently died it would have cost me well over £1000 if I wasn’t insured. My other Persian was diagnosed with Crystals in his bladder a few years back and has to have special food for life and they paid for it all for the 1st 6 months. The Persians insurance is just over £15 a month

I want one that not only covers illness and emergencies, but regular check-ups as well (deworming pills, vaccines, regular doctor visits, stool sample, x-rays, etc).

do embrace, petplan, and aspca cover all of this? Also, how come on insurance review websites…it shoes like $10 for the monthly fee but when i go on the actual website, it’s like $20-40?

Lastly-I need to get my pup vaccinated asap, once i sign-up for insurance, can i use it right away??

i’d appreciate any help, thanks so much!!!!

Stay away from Banfield as you are restricted in who can offer the dog care.
I would go with VPI or ASPCA.
Pet Insurance is costly but anything under 50 dollars a month that covers annual exam,vaccines,fecal,heartworm/flea and tick prevention is well worth it.
The insurance should also offer some coverage for blood work, urinalysis, mass removals,spay/neuter and dentistries.
The more expensive the plan the more services they will allow you.

How insurance works
You sign up and download insurance forms.
The vet fills out the form and you pay for the services that were rendered.
You submit the insurance claim and them a few weeks later you get a hefty check for reimbersment.
Its not as easy as human health insurance as you are responsible for payment but you will be reimbersed.
It is so worth it
So many clients kick themselves too late as they should of got the insurance earlier.

My vet recommended the ASPCA or VPI pet insurance, but when I went online and looked at reviews, neither of those did very well. The best reviewed ones were Embrace and PetPlan US. Does anyone have any feedback on any of these?

True, I have heard lots of bad things about aspca and vpi… most vets know about vpi because it has been around the longest but of course age doesn’t necessarily equal quality by any means.

I know that Petplan does some limitations on the policy depending on the breed. I am also pretty sure they do benefits schedules (though they make it very difficult to find their policy on the website).

Anyway, I did a lot of research before choosing Trupanion for my dog. They seemed to be the most straight forward and honest, they openly disclose everything they cover and don’t cover.

What I like about them is they have no claim limits or annual limits, which both Petplan and Embrace do (and its more expensive for a higher annual limit with these companies). Plus Trupanion doesn’t increase your premium as your pet ages which it seems like almost every company does. And you can enroll your pet up to age 14 and then it is covered for life!

Just be sure to read the policies (if you can find them) before signing up for anything. Good luck and don’t hesitate to ask lots of questions during the process!

I have a one-year-old, spayed female lab. Overall, she is very healthy (despite the occasional ear infection from swimming). As a young dog, however, she has experienced some "bumps and bruises." After a run of bad luck — giardia, kennel cough, and a broken toenail requiring anesthesia — I am seriously considering acquiring pet insurance. I have done plenty of research and confused myself thoroughly. Is it worth it?

Some articles suggest that putting money away into savings is essentially the same thing and that pet insurance is not cost-effective. Other articles suggest that it is well worth it and cost effective over time for most animals. I’ve read numerous reviews of insurance companies suggesting they nit-pick in order to avoid reimbursement and jack up rates after the first year or after an incident or illness.

You tell me, is it worth it?

Thank you.
She is up to date on all shots — the kennel cough was a blip. The vet explained that occasionally the vaccine doesn’t take — same thing in the human world.

Saving up money in a bank account only helps for lesser expensive treatments. It is not helpful at all if you have $200 saved up and receive a $2000 vet bill, which is why I think pet insurance is worth it.

Yes, lots of people say the insurance company "denied the claim for no reason" but this is because they didn’t fully understand their policy which seems to be the biggest problem people have. You should really read the policy and understand what is and is not covered before signing up.

So it seems your dog is sort of accident-prone, so I’d definitely recommend pet insurance, especially because she is young — she has a whole life of possible accidents ahead of her. Obviously anything related to giardia, kennel cough, and future broken toenails will probably not be covered.

Though it’s kind of a lot of reading, this site has some really good information about what to look for in a plan: http://www.pet-insurance-university.com/pet_insurance_guide_lesson7.html

My own recommendation for a company is Trupanion. They have very few exclusions and limitations – no claim limits per year, per claim, or per incident, just a lifetime limit. Also they don’t exclude breeds or hereditary conditions — the only exclusion is hip dysplasia (which coverage has to be added on before the pet turns 1).
They cover 90% of the bill with no benefits schedules, and you can choose a $0 deductible which is what I would recommend.
Also there is no increase in premiums due to pet aging, so since your dog is young, you’d get locked in at the lower premium.
They cover conditions for life, so unlike some companies, they will not consider a condition preexisting just because your policy renewed.

In all, yes pet insurance is worth it if you know exactly what you are getting.

I’m looking for reviews/comments/issues, etc.

Read the small print. They may not take care of everything. I think they are a rip-off and decided not to use it.

I just got a 8 week old chihuahua and am on the search for a good pet insurance for her. I have seen so many people who had to put their dogs to sleep because they couldn’t afford to pay for a surgery that could’ve saved the dogs life. I don’t want to get stuck in that situation so I want to get insurance. If been reading reviews on VPI vet pet insurance And have pulled away from it because most of the people who left a review left a bad one. Does anyone know a good pet insurance that I can get in California? Thank you!

I would recommend Trupanion Pet Insurance. It’s around $25 a month and there are no annual limits and no penalties for filing a claim which means your premium won’t go up every time you file a claim. It covers 90% of the veterinary bills for accidents and illnesses.
It’s good that you are reading reviews, because you should find the company that best fits your needs. I would suggest getting quotes from each of the websites to decide how much you want to pay and how much you want your plan to cover.

I have been looking into getting Insurance for my new puppy, Scout.
I know it sounds a bit strange, but I don’t ever want to worry about not being able to afford to take him to the vet if there is an accident or he gets sick.
Does anyone know of good Pet Insurance? I have been reading reviews and would like some first hand opinions.
Thanks!

There is a great review site at the link below. You can evaluate several different programs. Getting insurance when your pup is young will keep him covered for life. Best, Kate